For Grant’ birthday we surprise the boys by driving up to Elitch Gardens and telling them we had season passes.

Elitch is an amusement park on the outskirts of downtown Denver that was originally independently owned, then owned by Six Flags, and now independent again. The park is small with visual similarities to Six Flags. The teenagers that work here are cheerful and talkative to everyone.

We spend the day on rides until the boys get dizzy enough to stop for a while and have food. We sit eating pizza and corn dogs under a canopy next to a roller coaster that sling shots riders forward and then backwards high in the air. This is the first official “thrill” ride Grant has become hooked on. I can see him becoming a roller coaster connoisseur, trying different types of coasters. Good thing Elitch has a good selection.

When end the day in the water park. The huge wave pool is fun and the water feels wonderful after slow cooking on the asphalt sidewalks. The lazy river turns out to be worth the wait and gives us a chance to see the slides and other water rides we will come back to check out.